


The Handyman

by vivilove



Series: Career Day Romance [3]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst with a Happy Ending, Crushing Sansa, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Hand Jobs, Jealousy, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Mutually clueless, Workplace Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-14
Updated: 2017-04-16
Packaged: 2018-10-18 15:54:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10620189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vivilove/pseuds/vivilove
Summary: Jon Snow is a very skilled handyman but he's more of a doer than a talker.  He's lucky to have Sansa Stark as his savvy bookkeeper who always has great suggestions to help his business grow.  Sansa enjoys her job but she's run across one small problem with it.  She's fallen for her boss...and he's seeing someone else.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Third entry in my Jonsa workplace romance series.
> 
> This one has some angst compared to the first two but it'll end happy because I don't write sad Jonsa endings.

Jon Snow was a very skilled handyman. If your house needed a fresh coat of paint, he could make it look brand new. If your sink was clogged, he could unstop it. If your lock was busted, he could replace it. If your toilet was backed up…well, you get the idea. He’d even started doing remodeling and extension work. Some might say that Jon Snow was more of a doer than a talker. He worked with his hands and he was good at what he did. He was friendly…he just didn’t talk a person’s ear off the way some guys might.

Snowman’s Handy Helpers was a booming business. And, if you asked Jon Snow, he would tell you it was thanks to his bookkeeper, Sansa Stark.

“You should get a billboard,” Sansa suggested one morning while working on his taxes in his office.

He’d rented out a small office space a few months ago after much persuasion from Sansa. She’d found the place which was just the right size for them with reasonable rent. Gilly, the receptionist, sat out front which was where Sansa’s desk was. Jon’s office was in the back but Sansa used it as well when she was busy with the books and didn’t want to be distracted by the phone ringing. There was also a small conference room which had a fridge, two sofas and a TV rather than a conference table and chairs. It’s not like handymen held regular business conferences. The last time Jon had wanted to talk to everyone they’d ordered pizzas and watched a game together. Jon had done his talking during half time.

“A billboard? Why?” Jon asked from the lone visitor’s chair as he put his work boots up on the desk. He grabbed the nearly empty donut box that the other guys had already decimated to inspect what was left as he kicked back. “Business is good. There’s plenty of work to keep me, Grenn and Daario busy.”

“Ugh! Boots off desk, please!” Sansa said, whacking his steel-toed foot with her pencil. Jon laughed and moved his feet. “Jon, don’t sell yourself short here. Was I wrong about getting the little business cards printed up or sending out those mailers?”

“No, Sansa,” he said, rolling his eyes but also smiling at her. His smile did things to her…things she couldn’t tell him.

“Was I wrong about advertising in that circular?” she persisted. It didn’t matter how damn cute he was, he needed a little prodding when it came to advertising and a bit of guidance on how to keep a business growing.

“No, Sansa,” he said with a mock sigh before handing her the last donut, a lemon-filled one.

“I shouldn’t,” she said, shaking her head at the empty calorie-fest.

“You should…and you will. I know you can’t resist lemon,” he teased.

She smiled and took the offered donut before saying, “You’re getting a billboard.”

“Fine…as long as I don’t have to be on it.”

“Jon, you’re a…” Sansa swallowed hard and started again, “you’re a good-looking guy and I think you would…” His eyebrows shot up and she felt herself blushing. Not to be discouraged though she finished by saying, “Well, I think you’d be good advertising for yourself.” He gave her that stubborn little scowl she knew very well…and found utterly adorable. Sansa gave a disgruntled harrumph and threw up her hands. “Fine!” she said in surrender. “We’ll ask Daario to do it.”

Sansa had started as Jon’s bookkeeper about eight months earlier when he’d run into her older brother who he’d been good friends with as a kid and mentioned that he was getting a bit behind on keeping up with his business’s paperwork and such on top of doing so much work. Robb had suggested he call his sister who had taken some finance and business courses in school and needed a job after a moving back home.

When Jon had called her about the potential job, Sansa was surprised to say the least. He asked if she remembered him. _‘Yeah, I remember you.’_

Sansa remembered Jon Snow very well. There’d been countless Saturday mornings of him at her house as a kid when he’d had a sleepover with Robb. Back then, she’d just been the kid sister that Robb was always yelling at to get out of his room when his friend was there. Jon had always been kind though even when she was whining and pouting at them both.

As he and Robb got older, he still came by from time to time. When Sansa was eleven and really starting to notice boys, she thought fourteen-year-old Jon was sweet and kind of cute, even with his glasses and a bit of acne. But when Sansa was fourteen and feeling gawky, gangly and generally awkward herself, Jon had transformed into this hot hunk of teenage glory with his shiny, black curls and suddenly buff body. He had seemed completely unobtainable but she had daydreamed about him…a lot.

Then, Robb had gone away for school and Jon Snow had disappeared from her life. Sansa went south for college. She had wound up learning some bitter lessons about love while she was there. She’d been miserable in the south so far away from home. She ended up dropping out before her final year and returned home to be near her family with the plan of returning to school eventually.

A few months later, Jon had called her out of the blue to see if she’d be interested in a job. He’d invited her to meet him over wings and beer to discuss the job offer. And two people who had known each other for years but never really known each other all that well tried to play catch up. Even if that meeting was strained in a way, Sansa needed a job and Jon needed a bookkeeper and they agreed to give it a try.

So, several months had passed and this was working just fine. Jon’s business was booming which he freely told anyone was thanks to Sansa. And, Sansa was enjoying her job and being part of the business while she considered returning to school somewhere nearby. They had formed a mutual respect for one another as adults and co-workers. Equally good, they were friends now as well.

Everything was going splendidly. There was just one problem. Sansa had fallen for Jon, or fallen again if you counted the teenage crush. Why was that a problem? Because Jon was currently seeing someone else.

Ygritte was an electrician and occasionally helped with bigger projects for Snowman’s Handy Helpers. Jon could do some minor electrical work but, if it went beyond minor, he wanted a professional in this area. _‘Don’t want anyone’s house burning down or someone getting electrocuted, right?’_ he’d said. Grenn was a plumber by trade and Daario was a carpenter. Jon was both, plus he had picked up other skills but he hadn’t gone to electrical school. She’d been recommended to him by a contractor and he’d asked her if she’d be interested in doing some side jobs for his company. She’d been interested. She’d been interested in Jon anyway.

Sansa knew that Jon and Ygritte had been seeing each other for a few months because Ygritte had informed her of it the very first time they’d met. It was hard to tell how serious it was though. Jon never talked about Ygritte but Sansa sometimes heard him on the phone with her. But if Ygritte called the office looking for Jon and Sansa answered, she always sounded put out that he wasn’t there. Then, she’d proceed to talk about Jon with Sansa. Sansa always tried to get off the phone as quickly as possible without being rude but Ygritte was not an easy person to get rid of when she wanted your attention. And, to say Ygritte ‘overshared’ at times would be putting it mildly. Sansa’s face would usually be flushed a vivid red within three minutes of listening to Ygritte run from _‘So, how’s business there?’_ to _‘Jon is quite a_ handy _man…if you get my meaning.’_

Sansa wasn’t quite sure why Ygritte called the office so much when Jon had a perfectly good cell phone that he answered regularly. And, she certainly didn’t want to hear Ygritte telling her _those_ things about Jon. She’d finally got to the point that she avoided answering the phone. She apologized profusely to Gilly for dumping all the phone duties on her but Gilly smiled and said she understood. When Sansa asked Gilly over burritos one afternoon if Ygritte ever talked to her about Jon, Gilly had looked perplexed and asked, _‘Why_ _would she talk to me about Jon?’_

 

* * *

 

 

A few weeks after the billboard discussion, Jon had come into the office one morning a bit earlier than usual…well, early for the office. He usually knocked out a couple of minor jobs each day before he stopped by the office.

But someone else who was _never_ there that early was already there as well…Daario.

“Wow, Daario,” Sansa said with pleasure when his face appeared over the top of the massive floral arrangement he’d brought her. “Are these really for me?”

“You bet, Sans. You are the best!” he said with a wink as he handed over her surprise.

“Yeah, don’t mind me over here,” Gilly said.

“Hey, I brought you breakfast at least,” Daario protested. “And what would Sam think if I gave his wife flowers? Besides, these are for Sansa for asking me to be on the billboard. You wouldn’t believe the women that come right up to me and give me their number now!”

“Thank you and I’m glad that’s working out well for you,” Sansa laughed.

It was then that Jon made his appearance. He looked at the flowers before giving the three of them a rather forced smile. At least, Sansa thought it seemed forced though she couldn’t say why. Daario hopped up off Sansa’s desk where he’d been sitting and asked Jon where he needed him today. Jon went into his office and came out a minute later with a job for him to go take care of while Sansa tried to find a place for the flowers. Daario headed out and Jon watched the two women fuss over the flowers.

It was a big arrangement…far too big for her desk. She’d preferred the sweetheart roses Jon had given her for her birthday in the vintage, hobnail vase he said he’d found at an antique market. When she’d expressed her surprise that he’d go antiquing, he’d scratched his beard in an embarrassed way and muttered that she’d mentioned liking that kind of stuff.

Once she and Gilly finally agreed the flowers would work best on the spare desk by the window, Sansa said, “There. We can both enjoy them now. Right, Jon?”

“Yeah, sure,” he said before he headed into his office.

Sansa followed him into his office and asked if she could get the timesheets from him so she could start on payroll. He nodded and got up from his desk, gesturing for her to sit there like she usually did when she worked on payroll. He handed over the timesheets and sat down in the visitor’s chair without a word. He was often quiet when she worked at his desk and, if he wasn’t busy with something, he would sit and watch her work. But that morning, when Sansa would glance at him from time to time, she thought he seemed out of sorts…a bit down. He kind of had a ‘kicked puppy’ look and Sansa wasn’t sure what that was all about.

She decided that maybe he’d prefer to be left alone to brood in peace and she slipped out of his office when he went to heat up his sausage biscuit. He came out front a few minutes later.

“Hey…where’d you go?” he asked.

“I just thought I’d get out of your way for a bit. I can finish payroll out here.”

“Oh…okay,” he said looking down at his biscuit.

He shuffled back into his office and closed the door. Sansa looked over at Gilly who shrugged and then answered the ringing phone. Sansa started working again but she couldn’t concentrate. Something was gnawing at her. Something was definitely off with Jon today. He’d seemed upset when he came in and now he had closed his office door. Jon _never_ closed his door.

Sansa stood and smoothed down her top and ran a hand through her ponytail. Gilly shot her an encouraging glance while she was taking down information from the caller. She knocked softly at the door and heard him grunt for her to come in.

“Hey, are you okay?” she asked quietly as she slipped into the office.

He looked up from his desk and said, “Yeah. Kind of.”

“What’s that mean?”

“Nothing,” he answered.

“Seems like more than nothing.”

“Okay, I…just tell me if it’s not my business but…are you seeing Daario?” he asked then.

“No,” she said amused. “He gave me the flowers to thank me for putting him on that billboard. Apparently, it’s getting him lots of attention…lots of _female_ attention,” she said waggling her eyebrows at Jon.

He laughed then and said, “Okay, I’ve got the picture. Sorry for being nosy.”

“It’s okay.” Sansa clasped her hands together and looked at the floor. Jon had never asked her about her love life before and it gave her enough courage to ask, “So…how’s Ygritte?”

“What? Oh…I guess she’s fine. We stopped seeing each other a few weeks ago.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” _No, I’m not but I’m sorry if you’re hurt_. “I didn’t know.”

“Don’t be. I’m certainly not,” he said with a sigh.

“Is something else wrong then?”

“No…well, she called me last night.”

“And?”

“She called me and asked me to…well, she wanted me to come over for…”

“Okay, I’ve got the picture,” Sansa said with a smirk.

He rolled his eyes and covered his face for a second in embarrassment. “Yeah. My first booty call, I guess.” They both snickered at that before he said, “Anyway, I said no and then she got kind of nasty with some things that she said.”

“Things like what?” Sansa asked sharply, suddenly ready to rip Ygritte in two if she had hurt him.

“She said that I was…” He stopped talking and looked at her for a second then shook his head and said, “Never mind. So, where is this billboard of ours anyway that has all the ladies after Daario?”

She was a bit disturbed by how quickly he’d jumped tracks on the topic but if he didn’t want to talk about Ygritte anymore that was fine with Sansa. “Oh, about fifteen minutes away. Want to go see it?”

“Now?” he asked, clearly surprised but pleased.

“Well, if you’d like and you’re not too busy with that biscuit that you’re not eating.”

“Okay, sure,” he said jumping up from his chair while grabbing his keys and phone.

They drove through town in his work truck which was also a rolling advertisement for the business…also Sansa’s idea. She directed him to park at the office building across from the sign. The office building was large and probably held a dozen different businesses. There was a community park with ball fields right beside it. And there was plenty of traffic that made its way down this street every day so plenty of potential eyes would be seeing ruggedly handsome Daario grinning at them from the sign advertising Jon’s handyman service.

“Well?” she asked once he’d had his look.

“It’s good, Sansa. And, this is a great location. I may have to hire some more help before long.”

“Well, that’s the idea,” she said smiling at him.

“Sansa,” he said turning towards her in the truck. “I just want to say again how much I appreciate everything you’ve done for me and my business. Since you started working for me, things have really taken off and I couldn’t have done any of this without you. And I’m really glad that we’re friends now and have gotten to know each other…well, much better than when we were kids.”

Jon moved just a bit closer across the bench seat. His eyes were flashing with some sort of barely contained energy and the temperature inside the cab of the truck seemed to have increased about ten degrees.

“You’re welcome,” she said nervously. _Why is my stomach in knots?_

“Sansa,” he said again…but this time he said it in a different tone, a huskier tone, that made her quiver in anticipation of something. “I’m not the best at words but I’ve been wanting to tell you that I…”

He grew quiet. He looked from her eyes to her lips and then back. Then, he leaned forward rather suddenly and Sansa barely had time to suck in a quick breath before his lips closed over her own. For a split second, she started to kiss him back until reality sunk in. She pulled away and turned her head. She could see his hurt look but he quickly returned to his side of the cab.

“I’m sorry, Sansa. I like you and I just thought you might…”

“I’m not your rebound girl, Jon,” she said steadily. She was glad she sounded steady because she felt anything but.

“I…that’s not what I intended! I didn’t…”

“You just told me this morning that you broke up with Ygritte!”

“Weeks ago! And we weren’t even…”

“I didn’t know that until this morning which means you’ve not mentioned it to me…or the guys either since Daario never met a bit of gossip that he didn’t share right away. It’s too soon for you to be serious about me.”

“But I am…I have been…”

She didn’t let him continue, “I’ve already been someone’s rebound girl and I won’t go through that again…not even for you.”

He sighed and rubbed his hands over his face, “You’re right. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have kissed you like that…”

“No, you shouldn’t have but I forgive you. Can you please take me back to the office now before this gets any more awkward for either of us?”

“Yes,” he said with his shoulders hunched forward and a completely miserable expression now.

He threw the truck in drive and drove them back to the office. They didn’t talk but it wasn’t as tense as it could have been. _Just breathe in and out. He was just feeling down and_ _lonely. He just made a mistake. That’s all it was. He’s not really interested in you. Hold it together_ , she told herself as he pulled back into the parking lot at the office.

Gilly met them at the door with a fist full of jobs she’d taken while they were gone.

“Looks like the billboard was a good idea,” he said not quite meeting Sansa’s eyes now.

“Yes. Allow me to say I told you so,” she said with a fake smile she hoped was convincing.

He smiled back at her before he started texting Grenn to meet him at a job. She went over to her desk to straighten a few things before she couldn’t take it anymore. Without a word to Jon or Gilly, she headed straight back through the building to the bathroom at the back. She closed the door and turned on the vent and finally let herself cry.


	2. Chapter 2

Everyone has times in their life when they sorely wish that they could go back in time to a specific moment and change everything. Jon Snow had had one of those moments a couple of weeks earlier when he’d made the completely idiotic move of trying to kiss Sansa in his truck so soon after he’d told her he wasn’t seeing Ygritte anymore. He should’ve told her what was truly in his heart first and then decided if a kiss would be welcome or not. There were so many things he’d wanted to say that morning…for a long time actually. But, he had been telling the truth when he said he wasn’t the best with words. No one was arguing that.

Other than some lingering awkwardness and occasional aloofness, Sansa had returned to work and acted like nothing had happened. She’d seemed eager to forget about the whole thing. It hurt to accept that she wasn’t interested in him like he’d been hoping but, rather than force his attentions on her, he decided to take her lead and try and forget about it, too. Well, he tried anyway. For a kiss that had lasted all of ten seconds at most and one that she had just barely responded to before pulling away, he’d spent an absurd amount of time thinking about it and replaying it in his mind.

When Ygritte had called wanting him to come over the previous night and then got so pissed when he’d refused, she’d brought up Sansa. It wasn’t the first time the subject of Sansa had been raised between them.

At first, he’d been confused by Ygritte’s immediate and obvious jealousy over Sansa when she’d met her. Sansa had only been there a few months when Ygritte had asked him out. And although she was all grown up and a knock-out now, Jon still saw her as Robb Stark’s little sister. Alright…to be honest, he realized he’d already been trying to remind himself of all the reasons why Sansa was off-limits even then.

He’d still fondly remembered her as the little girl that he’d sometimes sit next to on the Stark’s couch on Saturday mornings. She’d creep up next to him those mornings in her pajamas covered in princesses or puppy dogs and whisper little secrets and stories about her stuffed animals or her dolls in his ear as they watched cartoons when Robb was distracted. Jon didn’t have any siblings and he enjoyed her attention. He didn’t mind Robb’s little sister. He felt guilty when Robb would chase her off and tell her to leave them alone.

As a teenager, she’d been a pretty girl but he’d not allowed himself to look at her _that_ way. She was Robb’s sister. He wasn’t about to violate the bro code by making any moves on her then…and maybe he had still felt lingering guilt about looking at her that way now as though he was disrespecting Robb in some way.

So yes, he’d just seen the same sweet girl when he’d hired her. The sweet girl had grown into a beautiful, funny and intelligent woman. She was an adult now…that was the only difference. Didn’t stop her from being Robb’s kid sister, right?

But the longer he worked with Sansa and the better he got to know her, to really know her, the more he found himself looking forward to seeing her every day. He’d agreed to renting the office space when she suggested it; partly because it was a good idea anyway and partly because it meant she wouldn’t do so much of his paperwork at her apartment where he couldn’t stop by and see her whenever.

Before long he started spending more time at the office. He told himself at first that with so much work coming in he needed to stay on top of things at the office. That wasn’t really true though. Sansa handled everything beautifully for him whether he was there or not. The truth was he just wanted to be where she was. He liked spending time with Sansa. He liked the way she’d chew on her pencil when she was thinking and he’d catch himself staring when she’d bite her bottom lip and scrunch up her brow when something wasn’t adding up right. He liked the way she was always coming up with suggestions for his business and the way she wouldn’t back down when he was being stubborn. He enjoyed their easy and comfortable way of talking and teasing and laughing together at work.

Ygritte could be pushy but she wasn’t stupid. She had realized what was happening well before Jon did but she wasn’t the kind of woman to just give up on something she wanted without a fight. So, she’d started calling him…all the time. And when he stopped answering her calls because it was keeping him from working, he hoped she might take the hint that he wasn’t interested in pursuing a relationship. He thought she _had_ got the hint…until he found out about her phone calls to the office and the things she’d been saying to Sansa. Gilly had let the cat out of the bag one morning when Sansa was out and Ygritte had called the business line looking for him. And that’s when he’d decided enough was enough and he would have to deal with this face to face. He drove to her place that evening after work and told her he didn’t want to see her anymore. He’d tried to be polite and keep things civil but Ygritte had been angry and it had ended far from polite and civil.

Her jealousy and the inappropriate and untrue things she had been saying wound up backfiring on her because it made Jon realize that she was right. He liked Sansa. Well, he didn’t just like her. He had fallen in love with her. And even though Ygritte and him had never made any declarations of love or anything remotely close to that, it wouldn’t have been fair to keep seeing Ygritte once he finally saw the light.

Which made her call a few weeks after that fight all the harder to believe. Ygritte was attractive. If she wanted some action, Jon was certain she could find some other guy who was interested and one who she hadn’t cursed up one side and down the other the last time they’d spoke. And when he’d said no to her invitation to come over, she’d been livid and said the vilest things about Sansa and him.

That next morning, he’d still been angry over Ygritte’s call but it was nothing compared to how eaten alive with jealousy he’d been when he saw Daario sitting on Sansa’s desk and giving her flowers. He thought he’d blown his chance by waiting too long. He’d wanted to ask Sansa out before then but he wasn’t sure of the best way to handle it. She was his employee although he considered her his equal. And, he’d not mentioned that he’d stopped seeing Ygritte to anyone because he tended to keep his personal business to himself out of habit.

He’d been so relieved when she’d said she wasn’t seeing Daario. Of course, now he saw that his jealous reaction had only compounded his mistakes that morning. It made him look like maybe he was only interested in Sansa because someone else was.

And then, alone with her in his truck with her smiling at him and making him feel so at ease like she always did, he’d made his move. He thought of himself as a doer more than a talker. In truth, he’d chickened out on the talking part and acted foolishly instead.

Of course, she’d think he was on the rebound. He wanted to argue that there wasn’t anything to rebound from but he could see her point. He wanted a real relationship with her, one that didn’t leave her with any doubts about him or the way he felt about her. And, while he had hoped that maybe she might return his feelings, he had his own doubts and the possibility of being rejected again after the kiss was not an easy thing to face.

So, he’d taken her lead and kept things cordial without pushing her at all. And maybe he hadn’t spent quite as much time at the office lately as he had been. Okay…he’d been avoiding the office like a coward. They _were_ very busy but he was also concerned that if he was with Sansa for too much of the day he wouldn’t be able to help kissing her again. And he would not be doing that again until she clearly wanted him to do so. _Which may never happen now_.

 

Snowman’s had just had their most successful month ever and Jon had invited everyone out for drinks on Friday after work to celebrate. He had been delayed at his final job of the day, a clogged sink that seemed to be possessed by evil spirits, and he’d had to run home to shower and change before joining them.

“There’s the man at last,” Grenn said from the table for six they’d commandeered in the bar area.

“Hey,” Jon said. “How’re you doing, Sam?” he asked Gilly’s husband as he reached over to shake hands with him.

“Good, thanks.”

“Where’s Sansa?” he asked next as he sat down and noticed the empty seat.

Of course, his eyes had been searching for her red hair the moment he spied their table but he thought perhaps she’d gone to the ladies’ room. It was now clear that neither her jacket or handbag were at the table.

“Said she couldn’t make it tonight,” Daario replied while keeping his eyes on the two servers standing by the bar who were obviously staring at him and giggling together.

“Oh,” Jon said feeling keenly disappointed on top of that same crushing guilt he’d felt at the mere mention of her name ever since he’d kissed her.

“God…I cannot thank you enough for putting me on that billboard!” Daario said a few minutes later when their server, a cute blonde, dropped off their beers and slipped him her number.

“Yeah…well, it’s been good for business. It was all Sansa’s idea,” Jon said as he took a sip of his drink.

“I’m sure you’ll miss her when she’s gone,” Sam said.

Jon’s head shot up and he saw Gilly elbow her husband hard in the gut. “What?” he sputtered.

He saw Grenn’s look of surprise, too. Daario was still eye-fucking the servers and might’ve been on another planet for all the attention he was paying to the rest of them right now.

Gilly cleared her throat and said, “She’s registered to start at school…for the spring semester. She said she probably wouldn’t be able to handle working full time and her course load. I’m sorry, Jon. I know she wants to tell you herself. I didn’t know my idiot here would blab,” she said jerking her thumb at Sam.

“I…I’m sorry. I need to go,” Jon said throwing down some money for everyone’s drinks and heading blindly towards the door.

He had to talk to her. He had to explain himself and try to make up for the way he’d handled everything. He didn’t want to lose her. If she didn’t want to work for him anymore that was one thing but he didn’t want her to drift back out of his life again like when they were kids. Even if she didn’t feel the same way about him that he felt about her.

 

* * *

 

 

Sansa sat on her couch looking at her bills on Friday evening with Lady at her feet. She was making decent money at Snowman’s and if she quit once she started school, it’d be difficult to afford her rent and expenses on a part-time job that would pay less. _You need to do this though. You don’t want to be an amusement for him to take his mind off her_ _like you were for Harry_.

She knew she wasn’t exactly being fair, comparing Jon to Harry. He wasn’t like Harry. He was caring and kind. He was her friend. And maybe he did have feelings for her that weren’t tied to ending whatever he had with Ygritte. Maybe she’d screwed up her chance to be with him by reacting as she did. _Maybe, maybe, maybe_ …

But if she stayed there, she wouldn’t be able to resist him much longer. The memory of that brief but sweet kiss had left her wanting more. However, the thoughts of being rejected now or worse...being used and then discarded like what had happened at school frightened her. It frightened her so much it made her chest feel like it was being crushed.

Putting away her bills with a frustrated sigh, she changed into her pajamas and turned on the TV to escape all her uncertainties for a time. “Pride and Prejudice” was playing which was probably one of her favorite movies. She popped some corn to lose herself in Austen’s tale of love and misunderstandings. It was nearly to the part where Mr. Darcy declares his feelings for Elizabeth in such a biting and pitiable fashion when Lady barked and there was a knock at her door.

“Figures,” she grumbled, muting the TV and going to see who could be calling on her this late. She gasped when she opened the door and found Jon standing there.

“Hey,” he said. “I’m sorry to stop by unannounced.”

She leaned against the door waiting for a little more explanation but none was forthcoming so she sighed and opened the door wider, gesturing for him to come in. Lady came over to greet him with her tail wagging. She’d liked Jon immediately from the first time they’d met. _Lady_ _always likes other dog people anyway_ , she thought sourly. He had squatted down to give Lady some attention while Sansa stood by her couch with her arms folded across her chest watching him. She felt perturbed and more than a little worried that her resolve would crumble with him here. He looked up nervously and cleared his throat before standing again.

“Sansa, I came here tonight to try and talk to you about some things. To try and patch things up between us again maybe?”

“Patch things up? I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said reservedly, glancing at the television as Elizabeth was refusing Darcy’s inept proposal. _He needed to be taken down a notch or two anyway._

“Yes, I think you do. We’ve been avoiding talking about what happened that morning. You didn’t want to talk about it so I let it go when maybe I shouldn’t have.”

“When would we have talked exactly?” she said with more acerbity than intended. _Stop acting angry and hurt. Don’t show him that you’re hurt_. “You’re rarely ever at the office lately.”

“I know. I’m sorry about that. I…I’ve been avoiding coming by.” She wanted to remain aloof, to show him that none of it mattered. She didn’t want him to know how easily she could be hurt by him. She huffed in irritation instead. _So much for playing it cool_. “But maybe not for the reasons you think,” he continued.

“Oh?”

“Sansa, I wasn’t trying to forget Ygritte with you. I wouldn’t ever want to use you that way.”

“I didn’t think you’d purposely want to do that,” she conceded. “I know you’re not like that.”

“There wasn’t anything much between us anyway. And, I stopped seeing her because I realized I had feelings for you. Actually, Ygritte pointed it out first. She was, uh…a bit jealous of you.”

“No shit,” she said widening her eyes in mock surprise and letting the sarcasm drip off her tongue.

He smiled. He’d never been thrown off by her sarcasm. Things had been so easy between them for so many months. She’d missed that the past couple of weeks.

“She had a valid reason to be. I started to fall for you…without even realizing it…and she called me out on it. I was afraid at first, afraid of hurting our friendship and our work relationship but, once I stopped trying to deny my feelings, they became so clear.” Sansa looked away from the intensity of his gaze. Her breath was getting short and she felt flushed. He was so handsome and standing here in her apartment and saying the things she wanted to hear. She was afraid that if she closed her eyes, she’d wake up and this would prove to be nothing more than a dream. “Sansa…what are you watching?” he asked a minute or so later, clearly wounded that she appeared to be watching TV and ignoring him.

Sansa glanced at him and then the set, her eyes focusing for just a moment on the screen. Elizabeth was left standing alone. Darcy had walked away. They would work everything out later and wind up together and happy but they would be parted and in pain for a long time in between. And, Sansa realized she didn’t want that. _Life is not a song or a movie_. _We’re not actors playing a role_. She wanted to be happy with a man that wanted her…that cared about her. She didn’t want to play games or wrap herself in her hurt feelings or let past pain cause her to miss out on what was right in front of her.

“I’m sorry,” she said, looking back at him. She’d been staring off like the biggest idiot as this man who she loved but who was not always the best with words was trying to express himself and his feelings about her…to her. “I’m sorry, Jon. I’ll just turn this off,” she said smiling at him. He nodded but still stood there uncertainly with his hands shoved in his jean pockets. “Jon, I’m sorry for how I reacted that morning.”

“No, I’m sorry I was stupid. I should’ve just told you how I felt about you…how I’ve been feeling about you for months really.”

“It’s okay. I had a bad experience at school with a guy that left me doubting myself. But, I should’ve given you a chance to explain that morning.”

“Sansa,” he said coming closer. “I’ve enjoyed working with you and becoming friends. Your friendship means a good deal to me and I don’t want to ruin it but I have to get this off my chest before I lose my nerve.” He paused and drew a deep breath before saying, “I’m in love with you. I didn’t expect it to happen when you started but it has.” She started to speak but he raised his hand. “Please…I’ll never manage to get it all out if I don’t say this now.” She closed her mouth and waited for him to continue. “You’re the first thing I think of when I wake up every morning and the last thought I have before I go to bed at night. You’re smart and clever and you push me to try things that I might be reluctant to do…but in a good way. You must know you’re beautiful but I’ll say it anyway. You _are_ beautiful but it’s more than the way you look. You’re beautiful on the inside and out. You make me wish I was a better man, a man that was worthy of you.” Sansa opened her mouth to argue but he kept talking. “Gilly said you’re going back to school and thinking about quitting. I want you to go back to school but I hope you won’t quit because of me. If you don’t feel the same way about me, I’ll respect that and I won’t bother you again with this, I promise. But if you want to keep the job, I’ll find a way to make that work for you and…”

Jon Snow had done a lot of talking…for him. And, Sansa wasn’t going to let him go any further.

“Stop talking and kiss me, Jon.” He looked genuinely surprised. “Yes, I want you to kiss me. I…I’m in love with you, too.”

“You love me?” he asked.

“Yes. I feel like an idiot for not saying it sooner,” she laughed.

He laughed with her before he took her hand in his. “Well, I guess the feeling is mutual.”

She nodded with a giddy grin on her face. He put his other hand on her waist and pulled her to him. He moved agonizingly slow and Sansa thought she might combust on the spot waiting for that kiss. He looked in her eyes for the longest time it seemed, one hand holding her waist while the other held her hand. Their lips were mere inches apart and Sansa licked her lips and felt her heart pounding in anticipation of that kiss. At last, he leaned in and his eyes closed just before Sansa’s did. The firm but gentle pressure of his lips on hers consumed every thought. She ran her hands up to grasp his shoulders and then moved them into his hair. His other hand now free, he grasped her waist with both hands and pulled her body more firmly up against his while he kissed her till she thought she might faint.

“Bed,” she sighed when their mouths parted several minutes later.

“You’re sure?” he asked in surprise.

“I am now.”

She tugged at his hand to lead him but Jon was a doer and he lifted her up into his arms to carry her to her bedroom. Lady barked once and started wagging her tail. Once in her room, Jon sat her back on her feet and Sansa immediately started unbuttoning his shirt while Jon began kissing her neck. His beard tickled and she giggled and pulled away causing Jon to playfully pursue her around the bed. Sansa pulled her pajama top off and threw is at him. He froze and she liked the way his mouth parted and his eyes widened at the sight of her bare breasts. Then, he licked his lips subconsciously and she liked that, too.

“You still have on too many clothes,” she teased as she climbed onto her bed.

He sat down and pulled off his boots and socks and his shirt and jeans. Down to his boxers, he crawled up next to her.

“Please tell me this is real,” he whispered as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her down on top of him.

“It is. It’s real…all of it.”

He tilted forward to kiss her again while keeping his hands on her waist. Sansa had herself braced against his chest and allowed her fingers to card through his hair as their lips and tongues met again. Jon moved a hand up to cup a breast and his deft fingers quickly teased and tweaked a nipple into a stiff peak. His tongue and his fingers were leaving Sansa wet and breathless for more. She spread her legs and sat up to begin grinding against his stiff cock. His eyes upon her were loving and soft but full of desire, too. No man had ever made her feel so loved and wanted as he did with just a look.

“I love you,” she said as he sat up to hold her to him while she rocked against him.

“I love you, too. I love you so very much,” he said, kissing her shoulders and chest.

Jon tucked his fingers into the waist band of her pajama bottoms and looked at her. She nodded and allowed him to tug them down. She moved off him long enough to kick them the rest of the way off and then helped him with his boxers.

His cock was hard and weeping when she climbed back up his body. She stroked him with her hand a few times, slowly working the precum around the head of his shaft with her thumb but, before she could lower herself to him, his hand found her center, stroking her slit and then gently rubbing her clit before he entered her with one finger and then a second. His other hand, so warm and callused, was at the small of her back, lazily caressing her back and ass while he pleasured her with masterful skill and loving tenderness.

Sansa was nearly shaking with the heat of this tension…this build-up before the coveted release. Her knees felt weak as she hovered over his groin and her hand clutched the mattress now on either side of his head to keep from collapsing. That delicious coil of longing unfurling at his touch alone. His thumb massaging her clit while his fingers were curling inside just slightly but at just the right spot. She begged him not to stop though she was more than ready for his cock by now. She could feel the heat of it pressed against her inner thigh but this was so good. Never had she experienced a hand job this intense and enjoyable in her life.

His eyes never left her face. He was watching and waiting for her to reach that summit.

“You really are good with your hands,” she moaned, biting her lip as her peak neared.

“Well, I could point out what I do for a living,” he laughed softly. “But, right now I’d rather watch you come for me,” he finished just as he leaned up to suckle at her breasts at last.

Yes, he was good with those hands…and that mouth. Sansa came for him then, crying out as her toes curled before she gently bit his shoulder. She collapsed on top of him as her climax rippled through her. He pulled his hand back up between them and methodically licked his fingers before kissing her again. She laid on top of his muscular frame while catching her breath for a moment before she hungrily started to devour his mouth while she centered herself above his cock. She inched downward and was rewarded with Jon’s moans and cries now.

“Fuck…sweet girl,” he panted as Sansa sheathed him fully and began moving her hips in time with his thrusts.

“Yes, Jon…that’s right. _Fuck_ your sweet girl now,” she said with a cheeky grin that brought out a louder groan from him.

“Do you know how hot it makes me when you’re telling me what to do?” he chuckled.

“ _Uhhh_ …uh, no...” she said barely able to answer. His hands were gripping her hips while his hips were bucking into her more forcefully now, already coaxing another sweet release from her wet and swollen cunt. “ _Ohhh_ …Jon! Don’t stop!” she cried as she peaked once more.

“So… _ahhh_ …fucking… _unnn_ …hot,” he grunted right before his own orgasm carried him over the edge, leaving them both sweaty but sated. “Sansa, love…I never want to let you go,” he whispered afterwards as he pulled her up against him for gentle kisses now.

“Good. You won’t have to,” she simply said, utterly content and happy…and feeling so loved.

 

* * *

 

 

Eight weeks later, Sansa had started school but she was still working at Snowman’s part-time. She didn’t get to spend as much time in the office as before but she’d sit at the kitchen table at night working on the books or helping him with payroll once any studying she had was done while he made their dinner and they’d talk about work and her school amongst other things.

Jon had hired an electrician named Dacey to help full time now and another plumber named Edd to help Grenn. Daario had been asking for an assistant and Jon figured he’d need to get him one soon with the way business was going. Gilly was still managing the phones on her own but Sansa suggested that she might need some part-time help soon.

Tonight, Sansa put down her pencil and put away her work and enjoyed watching Jon finishing up their dinner in his jeans, t-shirt and socked feet.

“I like this,” she said as he sat the food down on the table.

“What? My lemon chicken?” he asked.

“Well, yes…but I meant I like being here together at night. Talking and eating and working together.”

“I like it, too,” he said with a smile as he took her hand and kissed it. “So, you’re not regretting moving in with me?” he asked next as they dug into dinner while their dogs begged for a bite or two.

“Not at all,” she said tossing each dog a small morsel of chicken. “I think Lady would revolt at being separated from Ghost at this point anyway,” she teased then.

“That’s true.”

They sat together in companionable silence while they ate, just relishing quiet time in each other’s company after their busy day. After dinner, Jon washed the dishes and Sansa dried before they took the dogs for their final walk of the night.

“I’ve been thinking,” Sansa said as they walked side-by-side back towards the house with the dogs.

“Yes?”

“I think maybe you should do a commercial.”

“Sansa…” he said rolling his eyes but smiling at her.

“I think it’d be good for business. The billboards we have are fine but just imagine how much…”

“Sansa…” he said with a mock sigh.

“Have I steered you wrong yet?” she asked.

“No, Sansa. Fine, we’ll do a commercial…just don’t make me be in it.”

“Jon, I think you’d be…”

“Terrible in it.”

“Won’t you let me try and convince you at least?”

“Sweet girl…I can think of more than a few ways you could convince me to do anything you say,” he said with a mischievous grin. “But I’d still be terrible in it.”

Sansa smiled right back at him and said, “Fine…we’ll get Daario to do it.”


End file.
